U.S. Election Assistance Commission

WASHINGTON- U.S. Election Assistance Commission Chair Rosemary Rodriguez today urged Americans living abroad—both citizens and members of the armed forces—to register to vote as soon as possible to ensure their voices are heard on Election Day.

EAC Chair Rodriguez advises overseas voters to take three important steps to make sure their ballot will be counted: register early, update your state election office of any address changes, and return the completed ballot by the date your state requires.

“The voting process for Americans living overseas is lengthy; they must first request a ballot and return it to cast their vote. This lengthy process leaves little room for error or clarification,” said Chair Rodriguez. “It’s critical that overseas citizens, including those serving in the military, register as soon as possible to allow enough time to receive and return their ballots.

“We have already seen a huge increase in voter registration, and we expect record voter turnout this November, and that is why it is more important than ever that we all work together to make sure every vote is counted. For overseas citizens, that means registering early and making sure election offices are aware of any address changes.”

According to an EAC study, a majority of the absentee ballots sent to military and overseas citizens that were not counted during the 2006 election had been returned to election offices as undeliverable.

To register to vote and request a ballot, overseas citizens can fill out a Federal Postcard Application, accessible at www.fvap.gov. Civilians may also obtain the form from their local U.S. embassy and military service members from their voting assistance officer. Alternatively, citizens with permanent U.S. addresses may also request an absentee ballot from their county board of elections.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program recommends that voters register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot 45 days before an election. For additional information on how and when to request and return a ballot, voters should call their state election office—a complete list of phone numbers and website addresses for state election offices and other resources for overseas voters are available at www.eac.gov.

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) protects the voting rights of members of the Uniformed Services (active duty), members of the Merchant Marine and their eligible dependents, Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and United States citizens residing outside the U.S. UOCAVA requires states and territories to allow these citizens to register and vote in elections for federal office using absentee procedures. There are approximately six million UOCAVA voters, according to the General Accounting Office.

The EAC is an independent commission created by the Help America Vote Act.  The EAC serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding election administration.  It is charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment.  It is also charged with developing and maintaining a national mail voter registration form. The three EAC commissioners are Rosemary Rodriguez, chair; Donetta Davidson, vice chair; and Gracia Hillman. There is one vacancy on the commission.